BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – Defense Secretary Pete Hegses, NATO headquarters, on Wednesday called for an end to the Ukrainian War and set some outside limits of future US military involvement in the future Ukrainian Peace Agreement.
“We are meeting at a critical moment. As the war approaches its third anniversary, our message is clear. The bloodshed must stop and this war must end,” he said. He said in a statement at a meeting of the nations supporting Ukraine, known as the defence liaison group.
He said, “President Trump makes it clear with the people of America and many of your leaders that stopping the fight and reaching lasting peace is his number one priority. He said, We intend to end this war and bring both Russia and Ukraine to the table. The US Department of Defense will help us achieve this goal.”
Hegses “sought durable peace by combining the strength of the Allied forces with a realistic assessment of the battlefield.”
He called Ukraine's return to the pre-2014 border before Russia's annexation of Crimea “an unrealistic purpose,” and “expanding the war and causing more suffering.” “It was called a goal.”
He also stated that the US “does not believe that Ukraine's NATO membership is a realistic outcome of the negotiated settlement,” and security guarantees must be supported by competent and non-European forces. He said he must.
He said that if the force is deployed as a peacekeeping force in Ukraine at any time, it should not be deployed as part of the NATO mission, but rather a mission other than Nat, not covered by Article 5. I stated.
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty calls for members to come to collectively defend their members in the event of attack, allowing the United States to be drawn into armed conflict.
Hegseth said there must also be “robust international oversight of contacts.”
He also made it clear that no US troops will be deployed in Ukraine as part of their security guarantees.
To get Russia to negotiate, he said President Trump will put pressure on him by lowering the energy prices that fuel Russian war machinery.
“To further enable effective diplomacy and lower energy prices that fund Russian war machinery, President Trump has unleashed US energy production and encouraged other countries to do the same. The decline in energy prices, coupled with more effective enforcement, will help bring Russia to the table,” he said.
However, Hegseth revealed that it is time for Europe to “provide an overwhelming share of future fatal aid and non-fatal aid to Ukraine.”
That meant donating more ammunition and equipment. Take advantage of the comparative benefits. Expanding the defense industry base. And he said he will level it with citizens about the threats facing Europe and the need to spend more on their own defense.
He called on NATO Allies to spend 5% of their GDP on defense, exceeding a minimum of 2% of Alliance members.
“Increasing your own commitment to security is a future down payment,” he said.
Hegseth also made it clear that the US could no longer be “the main guarantor of European security.”
He said the focus will be on securing borders and prioritizing threats from China.
“As the US is paying attention to these threats, European allies must lead head on,” he said.
He praised his European allies in “first step,” but added that “more needs to be done.”
He then said the US continues to be committed to a defensive partnership with the NATO alliance and Europe.
“But the US will no longer tolerate unbalanced relationships that promote dependency,” he said. “In fact, our relationship prioritizes empowering Europe to own responsibility for its security. Honesty will be a future policy, but only in the spirit of solidarity,” he said. I said that.
“President Trump looks forward to working together to continue this candid discussion among his friends.
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